Design process will continue; significant funding needed for eventual construction
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
The effort to improve Big Sky’s often congested entry point will continue to seek significant funding, as the project was not awarded a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) grant program.
The project seeks to improve traffic flow and decrease congestion at the intersection of U.S. Highway 191 and Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail), with early discussions and designs suggesting a roundabout as the potential solution.
Despite missing out on the federal grant, MDT still has funding set aside for the preliminary design phase. Engineering firm HDR will continue its progress toward final project design, beginning this fall with information from an intersection control evaluation report, according to an email from HDR project representative Josh Springer. The report will be completed in early September.
The $25 million will be needed for the project’s construction phase, now facing an uncertain timeline.
The Big Sky Resort Area District contributed to the project including the $10.45 million acquisition of necessary land in 2024, and Executive Director Daniel Bierschwale said BSRAD will continue working with MDT to figure out next steps for funding. That may require waiting a year until the next annual BUILD grant cycle.
MDT regional engineer Brandon Jones said the 191/64 project made it to the final round of BUILD grant review before being denied.
“We’ll certainly apply for the BUILD grant again… It scored highly compared to the grants that were awarded, so I think it’s a good path to re-apply,” Jones said. Furthermore, he expects that USDOT will have a large surplus of funding near $1 billion in the 2026 cycle—slightly more than double the $488 million awarded this year. “We should be competitive in that.”
Bierschwale added that Montana Highway 64’s status as an “auxiliary route” makes it “particularly difficult” to seek state dollars from the Montana Department of Transportation, although the intersection with U.S. 191 makes the project eligible for federal funds.
BSRAD will continue prioritizing traffic congestion and safety in the community and working with elected representatives and state officials to explore funding opportunities for traffic-related projects. In the meantime, BSRAD is exploring ways to make use of the 191/64 corner parcel after investing public funds to acquire it in 2024. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office may temporarily move its Big Sky office to an existing building onsite, Bierschwale suggested.
Regardless of federal funding, Jones said MDT will likely still execute the project, although it may take five years or more to get started. “The BUILD grant would expedite our time frame significantly.”
